Menopause and perimenopause brings a whirlwind of side effects, from hot flashes and night sweats to depression and brain fog. Alcohol, unfortunately, makes these symptoms worse. That’s why so many women are searching for mocktail drinks that make it easy to ditch the booze during their transition.
With that in mind, here are my firm favourites when it comes to mocktail drinks. Delicious, nutritious and so much better for you.
Alcohol and menopause is a dangerous cocktail (pardon the pun.)
When you consume alcohol, you run the risk of worsening your perimenopause and menopause symptoms while increasing your risk of developing health conditions.
Realistically, most menopause and perimenopause symptoms are made worse by alcohol. That’s why so many women switch up from booze to mocktail drinks. However, these menopause symptoms are particularly exacerbated by alcohol:
Hot flashes and night sweats
If you suffer from hot flashes, switching to mocktail drinks may revolutionise your life.
Alcohol can trigger flashes or increase the severity of existing ones because, as a vasodilator, booze dilates blood vessels. This, in turn, boosts your blood flow to the skin.
Sleep disturbance
You may doubt this one, having been told that alcohol actively helps you fall asleep.
While initially, alcohol can help you feel sleepy, it wrecks havoc on your sleeping cycle.
When this happens, the actual quality of your sleep decreases. As sleep quality lowers, you may find you’re waking up more sporadically and frequently throughout the night. As such, the next morning, you’re left feeling drained and like you’ve not slept a wink.